WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., issued the following statement on President Trump's proposed budget for fiscal year 2018:

"The president has suggested a budget, but, under the Constitution, Congress passes appropriations bills.

"As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee my priorities are national defense, national laboratories, the National Institutes of Health and national parks."

He added: "We will not balance the budget by cutting discretionary spending, which is only 31 percent of spending and is already under control because of earlier budget acts.

"Runaway entitlement spending - more than 60 percent of spending - is the real cause of the $20 trillion federal debt. With Medicaid reforms in the health care bill, Congress is taking an important step in addressing entitlement spending."